Brandon Robinson Thompson will take a one-stroke lead into the final day of the Irish Challenge as he bids to successfully defend his title at The K Club.
The Englishman entered the third round one-shot off the lead but posted a bogey-free four under 68 to move to the top of the leaderboard on 13 under, one clear of overnight leader Joakim Lagergren in second place.
The 31-year-old carded an eagle and two birdies on the front nine to make the turn at four under before nine pars coming in put him in pole position ahead of the final round, where he will aim to win the Irish Challenge for the second consecutive season.
“I’m very pleased with my round today,” he said. “The conditions were tough, and the course was playing tricky at times. There are so many challenging golf holes out there and you really have to have control of your ball. To come out bogey-free was great.
“The eagle at the third gave me a nice bit of early momentum in tough conditions. The chip checked up beautifully and dropped in the hole.
“It’s tough to play in these conditions because it’s windy and we had a little bit of rain again today. I had to remain patient out there and sometimes rely on my short game to save pars.
“I hit a lot of good chips today which takes the pressure off. I’m hit the ball pretty solid and my putting was good again.”
Robinson Thompson secured a remarkable victory on his first Challenge Tour appearance at the Irish Challenge last year, when it was held at Headfort Golf Club, and he is hoping to retain the trophy in County Kildare tomorrow.
“Having a caddie was really helpful today,” he said. “It was great to have someone to chat to and talk to about other things away from the golf course because it keeps me relaxed.
“I love playing in Ireland and I’m going to enjoy myself out there tomorrow. Hopefully I can get the job done and successfully defend my title.”
Frenchman Sébastien Gros carded a five under 67 to move into third place on 11 under par, while Scotland’s Ryan Lumsden is a shot further back in fourth.
Zimbabwe’s Benjamin Follett-Smith shares fifth position on eight under par alongside France’s Pierre Pineau, American Aman Gupta and Swede Björn Åkesson.
John Murphy sits in a share of 11th and he leads the race for the Christy O’Connor Jnr Memorial Trophy, awarded to the leading Irishman, and they will receive an invite to the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down later this year.
The final round of the Irish Challenge will get under way at 8:00am local time, with Robinson Thompson teeing it up in the final group alongside Lagergren and Gros at 10:00am.
